CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO OPEN TWO NEW LOCATIONS IN MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS, AND FUNDING FOR A NEW BRANCH IN WOODLAWN

Chicago Public Library (CPL), in collaboration with Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), announced today two new libraries will be part of mixed-use developments planned for the Back of the Yards and Humboldt Park communities. The Library also announced that it will leverage $18 million in capital bond funding for a new library branch serving the Woodlawn community. These investments are a testament to the city’s ongoing efforts to promote literacy, education, and community engagement.

Part of the City’s INVEST South/ West initiative, each of the new libraries will anchor mixed-use developments that also include residential and commercial spaces. This approach to development aligns with the Library’s commitment to creating vibrant, welcoming spaces that serve as anchors for their communities.

“These new facilities will provide crucial resources and support to our residents, helping to strengthen our communities and promote education and lifelong learning,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “We are proud to invest in our neighborhoods through the creation of mixed-use developments and look forward to seeing these new libraries become hubs of activity and lifelong learning.”

This mixed-use approach is a natural next step after CPL partnered with the Chicago Housing Authority in recent years to provide three new mixed-income housing developments with librar- ies as anchor tenants, as well as a new library development in Altgeld Gardens combined with a childcare facility.

“Investments in Chicago libraries are an investment in safe and welcoming community anchors. We are thrilled to unveil two new library locations that are not just spaces to access information, but also serve as catalysts for community growth and development,” said Chicago Public Library Commissioner Chris Brown.

“In addition, these projects support educational milestones, provide vibrant cultural hubs and bridge the broadband gap by bringing together books, technology, and community resources to create vibrant, mixeduse spaces that will benefit residents for generations to come.”

“The inclusion and creative reimagining of library resources as community hubs within the buildings, elevates these two simple mixed-use, residential projects to the status of new civic icon,” DPD Commissioner Maurice Cox said. “Centered around colorful, light-filled multi-purpose spaces that serve as a beacon and focal point visually for the neighbor-

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